Suvendu Barik 1. Caste violence on barbers A default understanding of the social position of barbers in the Shudra hierarchy is of holding them accountable for denying haircuts to Schedule Caste communities. While barbers are considered low-caste, they hold onto various casteist norms and simultaneously are minutely regulated by oppressor castes (and feudal, landed communities) …
The Case of Subcategorisation and Creamy-layer Principle in SC/ST Reservation
Apoorva & Apeksha Singegol D The heat of reservation policy has just begun to bring the milk to a boil, yet the Supreme Court is already eager to extract the cream that hasn’t even formed yet. The bubbles on the surface of the boiling milk might hint at cream, but in reality, it’s just skimmed …
The End of Independent Ambedkarite Dalit Politics?
AIISCA Statement on the Defeat of Ambedkarite Dalit Parties in the 2024 General Elections Alongside economic injustice, unemployment, and the conventional Hindu-Muslim binary, the 2024 general elections were primarily fought around the ‘Social Justice’ narrative. The opposition alliance (INDIA alliance) led by Congress campaigned on the narrative that “if the BJP came to power with …
Caste as a textual label and audible word
Anu Ramdas Caste is a word, and like any word is a single unit of language; when spoken or written it conveys some agreed-upon meaning. The key here being the agreed-upon part. Is there a universal agreed-upon meaning when the term caste is rendered as a textual or audible word? A word is often an …
Human Feces and Caste in Tamil Nadu
Raja M In the socio-political structures of Tamil Nadu, caste is a pertinent issue in which all the problems are tied together. The following questions raise more skepticism about Dravidian Politics: Do Dalits access public places? Can Dalits have everyday lives/practices without caste discrimination? Can they easily avail of state-assigned civil rights without any discrimination? …
Can the VBA Secure Representation and Challenge Established Political Players?
Ajinkya Sanjay Khandizod Introduction The political landscape in Maharashtra has been characterized by ongoing turmoil, with each passing day bringing new episodes of drama. In the midst of this chaotic environment, the regional party Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has a chance to find a silver lining. Founded in 2019, just ahead of the General Elections, …
EWS Quota is not in the Constitutional Spirit
Santhosh J The controversial EWS quota for the savarna people is not true to the Constitutional spirit. The constitution guarantees justice to the socially discriminated groups and to ensure their adequate representation in the administration and educational institutions so that they can be made part of social life of the country by providing reservations to …
Extremely Backward Castes: Key to the Chair in Uttar Pradesh
Omprakash Mahato Right wing reliance on conventional politics in Uttar Pradesh Political gimmicks of political actors have certainly moulded the preferences of the voters in the past and continue to do so. With ongoing state assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, parties across the spectrum have come up with their manifestoes …
Liberal narrative and Afghanistan
Vinith Kumar These last few weeks have been about the Taliban. But it hasn’t really been about them. The reports, the end of the war, the exit of the American forces, the tragic images from the Kabul airport, all of these things were about the Taliban, but also not one of them were really about …